Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1887-09-24
ATTACK SAVAGES.
SCENES ALONG THE NORTHERN
COAST OF NEW GUINEA.
Their Greeting to D'Urville Sixty Years
Ago-Natives Around Humboldt Bay and
Their Ignorance and Impudence-How
the Married Ladies Wear Their Hair.

winch has been an almost unknown re-
gion, was recently visited by German
exploring expedition. A member of the
expedition thus describes some of their
experiences: 80
We approached with interest and ex-
pectation an inlet marked upon our
charts as Attack bay. Not long before
we had seen in one of the coast villages
called Massilla some Realistically -decked
warriors from this locality. They wore
upon their breasts warlile ornament in
the shape of small shield, made of boars'
tusks and plated reeds. Their noses
they adorned by sticking through them
semi-circular slices of the former mate
rial. On their left arms they wore large
rings made from the shells of mussels,
in which they stuck dagger fashioned
out of the thigh bone of the giant casso-
wary. We might have been prepared for
such martial figures in place bearing
the name of Attack bay. This appefla-
ton was given to it by D'Urville, who
first sighted it in 1927. A great fleet of
heavily-armed canoes rowed out from
here to attack his vessel, the Astrolabc,
and let off flight of arrows, whereupon
the warship very hastily set sail and
made for the open sea. Almost the same
welcome was given to us, for before our
anchor fell we had whole flotilla along
side of forty canoes filled with shrieking
and yelling savages. just as they did
fifty years before, they now carried bun
dies of bows and arrows, which they
offered us for SALE But | had got enough
of those wares, and was therefore glad
when they produced some articles
hitherto unknown to me. Among these
were cuirasses of beautiful kind, made
of split rattan, most ingeniously woven
together. .a
This singular wicker armor eneir-
cled the trunk and rose behind and
before so as to cover the wearer's Shout
der blades and breast. There were also
very large quadrangular shields of wood,
highly ornamented with quite artistic
carving. The people seemed to be pow
erfully built and were quite imposing in
champions, whom l measured with diff
Guilty, for he trembled like leaf during
the process and seemed to think it might
cost him his life, was only five feet six
inches tall. They were very keen traders
and wanted to stay higgling and chatter
ing around our vessel until late in the
evening, and they had to be scared away
at last by the shrill screams of our steam
whistle, which they doubtless took for
the angry noises of some fierce beast or
demon. We had not steamed far from
Attack bay when the sea again became
green, Indicating that we were near the
mouth of river. Such was the fact,
and as we drew near the shore again, the
natives appeared and endeavored by their
cries, gestures and waving green branches
to attract our attention and invite us to
the shore But we saw that landing
would be difficult, because of the surf
and the shadows, and we therefore deter
mined not to leave our vessel. Seeing
this many of the natives waded out in
the hope of reaching us until the water
rose breast high around them. Not being
able to approach very close in this way,
some of the more venturesome made use
of the most primitive mode of naviga-
ton that l know anything about, and
rode the waves mounted on two pieces of
bamboo tied together, or even on large
roots of trees. Later there came others
in canoes we'll manned and armed, and
they soon surrounded 10 in a great mob,
yelling most dismally. r
From this river we steamed gayly off
toward Humboldt bay. Before we started
our friends on the river bank warned us,
but as we thought in spirit of compe-
tition, to have nothing to do with the
natives living around the bay. All re-
ports were very unfavorable to these
Humboldters. They were represented as
dissolute, impudent, thievish rascals
When the Etna was there in 1858 they
stole from her everything they could
move. They even shot arrows at the
officers of the vessel, and made most
vigorous and inhospitable resistance to
all attempts to enter their village. We
were therefore very careful as we APP
preached to make everything secure.
We had some little difficulty in finding
the site of their village, but presently we
saw slender column of smoke rising
ohy "oiu, anu uiiCA duOGLCl, anu luGIl
several. About the same time there APP
peared at an opening in the coast line a
small fleet of canoes. We steered to-
ward them and were soon in their midst.
They appeared not in the least aston
ished to see us, and with as much I'M
concern as if steamers were seen in their
bay every week, they tried to climb up
our sides, even while the vessel was in
motion. AS soon as we dropped anchor
we were encircled by the usual crowd of
screaming rascals found on this coast.
These people made bad impression on
us. They were quite naked and more
clamorous and impudent than any we
had yet seen. From the accounts of the
Etna's visit here l had learned some
words of their language, and we freely
exchanged with them the term "wapi-
men, friend, but ''szigo," iron, was the
word oftenest in the mouths of the
natives, who have none of that metal in
common use, but make their tools and
weapons of stone or bone.
Plenty of the canoes contained wo-
men, who offered us bananas and vans.
The young girls were entirely naked,
but the married women wore a piece of
rough cloth about the hips like a short
skirt. This was quite becoming to the
ladies, as was their graceful mode of
wearing the hair. In their ears they
hung great numbers of rings made of
tortoise shell, but they had little other
jewelry. Some of them were tattooed,